A Gift from a Guy
by Arianna Elly Vesle
Summary: The age-old question: What am I going to buy Akane for Christmas? If Ranma wants to make the tomboy happy this year, he's going to have to work for it. But there are a couple of surprises in store for Akane . . . and Ranma too. One-shot!


Gift from a Guy  
  
By Arianna (Elly) Vesle  
  
~~Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is not mine. It was written by Rumiko Takahashi and is owned by her and a bunch of other companies. I don't own any of them, either, so that just leaves me out of luck.~~   
  
  
"It's December!"  
  
Kasumi Tendo blinked slightly, then turned from her simmering kettle. "Why, yes, it is."  
  
Ranma-onna stood, staring at the calendar, mouth agape. "I mean . . . I mean it's December!"  
  
"That's right."  
  
"It's almost Christmas!"  
  
Kasumi smiled happily. "It certainly is. Aren't you excited? Could you hand me the salt, please, Ranma?"  
  
Ranma-onna mechanically handed Kasumi the salt canister. "I didn't know it was December," she said tonelessly.  
  
"Mmm." Kasumi murmured. She added a pinch of salt to her hot broth. Ranma turned without another word and staggered out of the kitchen in the final stages of shock.  
  
For some reason, one he didn't understand, it seemed that nobody in the whole world ever thought it was necessary to tell Ranma Saotome anything that was really important. Like Christmas for instance. Never mind that there had been Christmas trees and sales and signs and advertisements and displays and Christmas songs blasted on mall loudspeakers. A person just couldn't be expected to pick up on every little thing. If life was fair, some caring individual would have come up, slapped him on the back and told him that, hey, by the way, Christmas is coming up pretty soon, so you might want to start thinking about what you're going to get Akane.  
  
What to get Akane. Ranma had kind of a sick feeling deep down in his gut that told him this very question would torment him every Christmas for the rest of his life. He wasn't sure why it was so vital to his sanity that he give her a gift at all. Although, it was certainly advantageous to his health.  
  
But . . . well, maybe there was one other reason he wanted to buy her something. He'd seen it before, the one or two times he'd given her a present. Akane had this trick of tilting her head, her little tongue darting in and out of her mouth, wetting her pink lips in excitement. And no matter what he gave her, she always seemed to like it for some reason. There was something about the way she looked at him, the way she'd hold his gift. Almost like it was something that was actually worth having.  
  
Ranma-onna shook her head to clear it. The matter was settled, just like last year, and just as easily. Akane must have a present. But this decision presented the biggest problem of all.   
  
Ranma-onna stuck her head under the spray in the bathroom and emerged, male, dripping water and slightly dazed. Ranma went into his room and, with a sigh, took out all of his savings. He stared at them for a minute or two, and sighed again.  
  
"Two hundred and fifty yen." He held up the money, then slapped it back down onto the floor in disgust. "Wonderful. Maybe if I shop around enough, I can afford to buy her a soda from a vending machine." Ranma ran his hands through his black hair, closing his eyes. "Great. Just great." He opened his eyes again and stared at the money, as if willing it to multiply. Nothing happened. He narrowed his eyes. "Ok. Think. Gotta think." He paused. 'I could ask Nabiki for money, like last year,' he thought, but dismissed the notion just as quickly. 'Nah, bad idea. She'd probably sell me out to all the girls again, or else hire me off to play Sparkles the Clown at kids' birthday parties for the next year. I could ask somebody else. Aww, but nobody else I know even has any money, and anyway, I couldn't pay them back. I could sell somethin' to a pawn shop. But I don't have anything worth buying.' Ranma groaned. 'It looks like I'm gonna have to . . . work.'  
  
  
  
"So, you need a job, huh?" The manager rubbed his chin. His lips, under a thick mustache, were pursed in thought. Finally he looked towards the boy again. "Alright, then. What with the holidays coming up, I guess I could use a little extra help."  
  
"Oh, thanks a lot," Ranma said, trying to sound enthusiastic.  
  
"Hmm, well, what you're going to be doing for me is delivering food. My regular delivery boys already have their hands full. I'll give you a route and you'll work from noon to five every weekday. Think you can handle that, young man?"  
  
Ranma sighed. "Yes sir."  
  
"Well, good, you can start tomorrow. And wear something warmer than that, it gets cold out here! See you at twelve sharp tomorrow. Bye, now."  
  
Ranma looked down at his Chinese shirt and black pants. "Great. Just great."  
  
  
  
As Ranma was coming home that evening, he bumped into the very source of all his troubles, right at the doorway of the Tendo home.  
  
"R-R-Ranma! You're back!" Akane's cheeks were rosy from the cold, and her eyes were very bright. She was holding a brown paper shopping bag, and when Ranma looked at it, her already pink cheeks grew even pinker. She nonchalantly hid the bag behind her back. Ranma raised an eyebrow. Akane noticed and cleared her throat loudly. "So . . . where have you been all afternoon?"  
  
"Oh . . . just . . . out. You know. Getting some . . . fresh air. . . ." Ranma gulped. "Um . . . I've got some stuff I need to do."  
  
"Oh, yeah, me too," Akane said eagerly. "See you later, Ranma." With that, Akane turned and darted off, up to her room. Ranma watched her go. That was her. That was the girl he was about to spend the next two weeks suffering for. Deep down inside, the noble part of Ranma told him she was worth every moment of him, but the rather more teenage-boy side of him groaned at the thought.  
  
That night, before going to sleep, Ranma rummaged through his clothes, trying to find something warm. Unfortunately, he really didn't have anything. Most of his clothes were the same style, from China, and he didn't have any winter coats and mittens and things because there hadn't been a really severe winter in several years. Even now, there was no snow, but Ranma could tell there would be if the temperature dropped just a few more degrees.  
  
After quite a while of fruitless searching, Ranma was just about to give up, when, crumpled in one corner of the closet, he discovered it. 'It' was the scarf Akane had given him for Christmas last year. He had purposely avoided wearing it, and no one could have blamed him, because that scarf had to be the ugliest thing ever placed around the neck of any creature. It was a rather wormy sort of a sickly yellow, and was so ratty and knotty it almost defied logic that it managed to hold itself together. Ranma almost threw it back where he had found it, when his eye fell on the back side of the thing. There, just as they had been last year, were the two little initials Akane had carefully stitched into the yarn. His initials, for his special present, handmade by the girl he l-lo . . . well, anyway, Ranma set the scarf aside and shoved the rest of the clothes back into the closet. He started work tomorrow.  
  
  
  
In all his young life, Ranma had never known people could be so picky. After letting him run about, to and fro in the cold, they had the gall to complain when he arrived! This wasn't what they wanted. The order was wrong, the food was cold, there was too much food, there wasn't enough food, the sauces has run together, the color was off, the lid wasn't tight and the flavor had escaped, he couldn't expect THEM to pay that much, hadn't he better run and ask the manager, there's a good boy and WHAT the devil had taken him so long? But he just had to make it through the next couple of weeks. So, Ranma endured it all with a smile and a bit of grinding on his molars. Nabiki was the only person at home who seemed to have caught on to the fact that he was working all afternoon. She wasn't speaking to him. Nobody else seemed to care, one way or the other. Genma didn't exactly keep a close watch on his son, Kasumi was far too busy with housework and getting the house ready for the holidays, and Akane . . . well, Akane he really hadn't seen much of at all, even when he was home. Ranma didn't really understand it. It was almost like she was avoiding him or something, but he couldn't imagine why. But it didn't matter; it was really all for the best. It made his life easier, not having to see her just now. Easier, and much less embarrassing.  
  
"Young man, this is certainly not the order I requested. You take it right back and tell your employer I demand my order to be filled properly."  
  
"Yes ma'am," Ranma said tiredly. Today was his last day on this job. In fact, it was Christmas Eve. He'd had to work today to earn enough money to make it worth his while. His shift was nearly over for the day and he was exhausted. He'd been trotted around town all day; his feet were starting to ache. Nobody seemed pleased with his efforts, except for that one, silk-clad girl who answered the door on his fifth run, and she had been entirely TOO pleased with him. Ranma shuddered. The wind was picking up a little and Ranma unconsciously hunched over a little, lowering his face into Akane's homemade scarf. He'd gotten used to its rough, prickly feeling around his neck, and in spite of the many holes and stretched out places, it actually was almost warm. A good thing too, because it was starting to get absolutely freezing out in the late afternoons.  
  
Besides being mildly protective against the cold, the scarf was also a constant reminder to Ranma of exactly why he was going to so much trouble. One or two of his less tactful costumers had . . . commented on it, but that didn't bother him. He'd worn too many unusual and sometimes downright humiliating ensembles to be affected by a few somewhat unflattering remarks.  
  
As Ranma neared the restaurant again, a cold drizzle began to fall. Not enough to saturate him to the point of changing, but enough to thoroughly chill him, that was certain. Ranma hurried in the back door and stood for a moment, trying to soak in some warmth before he would have to head out again.  
  
"Ranma! Back so soon?" His boss came over.  
  
"Yeah, Mrs. Kagayashi says this isn't what she ordered."  
  
The manager sighed. "Not again. Ronin!" He called to one of the cooks. "Fix this up in a different color Styrofoam box." He turned to Ranma again. "She'll take it if it arrives in a green one, just watch and see."  
  
Ranma nodded tiredly. The manager gave him a sympathetic look. "I know, I know. It's your last day. You were supposed to get off work so you could get out of here. Waiting for your paycheck so you can buy your girl a Christmas present before it's too late, aren't you?"  
  
Ranma nodded absently. "Yeah, I've been trying to find something I could get her - - hey, how did you know that?" Ranma asked, snapping back into reality, alarmed.  
  
The older man laughed. "I can tell! I was young once too, you know. Tell you what. I'm going to go ahead and pay you - -" he turned and took a step to the cash register, "So you can make your last delivery and get on with your Christmas shopping. You won't even have to come back here afterwards."  
  
Ranma stood with his mouth open for a minute. "I . . . Mr. Okana, that's. . . ."  
  
"Generous of me," the man grinned. "Yes, it's a weakness of mine." He handed Ranma some worn bills. "There. Now, you buy your girl something nice. And you have a good Christmas."  
  
"Thanks, Mr. Okana." Ranma took the repackaged food and turned to head out the door. "Merry Christmas."  
  
  
  
Outside, the wind was really picking up, and the drizzle had turned into hard sleet, almost hail, but not quite. It bit at Ranma's face as he headed out once more for his last delivery. The rain on the streets was starting to freeze, turning into a thin layer of very slippery ice, and Ranma had to watch his step to keep from falling. The sky was dark grey as the sun started to set beneath an invisible horizon. To keep his mind off his cold feet and practically frozen nose, Ranma started thinking again about Akane's present. It suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea what he wanted to buy her, and a little voice inside his head seemed to say 'you idiot'. And to make matters worse, he was officially out of time.  
  
Life really wasn't fair.  
  
If life was fair, Ranma would have been able to turn and look into one of those shop windows and . . .  
  
Ranma stopped in his tracks as the wind whistled around him. Right there - - that was it! Ranma took a cautious step closer and peered into the window. It was a sewing shop, and right there in the window, was the prettiest piece of embroidery Ranma had ever seen, although the idea that it was pretty did not enter his masculine head, but rather the idea that it was utterly suitable for a pretty girl, which his male brain not only enabled, but encouraged him to classify as such. It was covered with bright flowers, green leaves, and a brilliant butterfly.  
  
Of course. That was it. Attractive and useful, what better present could there be? Ranma was not very familiar with the ways of home economics, but he did know that, for Akane to produce a woven yarn creation like the one she had given him, she must possess at least a rudimentary knowledge of how to use the long, skinny needles with the yarn to produce . . . well, at least something that COULD be interpreted as a scarf. And if she could knit, she could embroider, they were probably almost the same thing anyway.  
  
His mind was made up, at any rate. Within five minutes, thanks to an efficient clerk who knew a great deal more about sewing than he, Ranma was in and back out of the shop with needles, a pattern, embroidery hoop, a thimble (on the clerk's advice) and lots of differently colored embroidery thread. That had given Ranma pause when he picked it up, for the momentary horror had struck him that Akane might use the colorful thread to sew something for HIM. But, never mind, it was Akane's present without a doubt, and if she tried to make him something he just wouldn't wear it, that's all.  
  
Ranma hurried on his way to deliver his package, but the time in the shop had cost him. It was now dark and the wind was screaming furiously. Sharp ice fragments blasted Ranma's face as he walked, and the air was so cold, his teeth hurt. It felt like a very long walk to the old woman's house. When he finally got there, she opened the door upon his first knock.  
  
"Well, it's about time you got here!" She took the container he held out and opened it, sniffing the food. "Humph. Ice cold, as usual. I suppose you took your sweet time getting here too. Young people these days just can't be depended upon for anything." She shut the door in his face. Ranma sighed.   
  
"You're welcome." He slowly turned and steeled himself for the walk home. It was a terrible thing. It felt as if needles were cutting into his flesh. Every step he took was painful, and he had to tense his legs to keep from slipping. The muscles grew sore. He had to duck his head against the wind, which shrieked all around him, and it was completely dark. His entire body was shaking with the cold, unable to retain warmth in the force of the wind, and he was already exhausted. With every step, Ranma wished with all his heart that he was already there.  
  
  
  
As he finally reached the yard of the Tendo home, Ranma let out a long sigh of relief. He almost felt warmer already, knowing that he could expect a hot bath and even better, hot food. He clutched the bag with Akane's present a little tighter with almost nerveless fingers, then reached up with his other hand towards his scarf.  
  
But the scarf wasn't there. For a moment, Ranma was utterly confused. Then he realized that the scarf must have blown off at some point during his walk home. He turned around and looked back into the darkness, but of course there was no sign of it. He sighed. There was no use at all looking for it now. It was getting dark, and besides, even if not for the darkness, the wind could have blown the ragged old thing anywhere. Ranma knew it was no use looking for it. He did feel a little bad though and he hoped Akane wouldn't find out. She'd probably get angry if she knew he'd lost it. Turning back, Ranma trudged the last few yards into the house.  
  
"Ranma!"  
  
Ranma pushed the door shut against the wind and turned. Akane stood there, looking quite the picture in an oversized sweater and leggings. She stared at him for a minute before marching up and dragging him away from the door by his ear. "Ranma Saotome, where have you been?! Everyone's been waiting and waiting for you! How could you be such a jerk?! I can't believe you'd wander off on Christmas Eve and leave everybody to wait for you!"  
  
Ranma allowed Akane to tug him along, and also let her continue her tirade, smiling a little to himself, tiredly but happy nonetheless. She made him go and change into dry clothes, just like a girl, but Ranma was glad because it gave him a chance to hide her present.   
  
Everyone had already started eating when he came back downstairs, so Ranma didn't have to wait. Kasumi served him up some hot soup and rice without a word about being late, for which Ranma was grateful. He ate his supper silently, and then Soun announced it was time for the family's annual Christmas Eve card tournament. Ranma groaned, but Soun and Genma, instantly declaring themselves official supervisors of the games, insisted that he participate, and placed him next to Akane and made them partners every game for five rounds of Rook. Ranma lost every game and finally said he guessed he'd go to bed. Kasumi looked a little surprised.  
  
"Oh! Don't you want to wait up for Santa?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Oh, Kasumi, we haven't done that since we were little," Akane said, blushing a little.  
  
"'Santa' never did bring us anything really good," Nabiki added, casting a telling glance at Soun, who coughed. Kasumi smiled unaffectedly.  
  
"Well, I just thought that Ranma might not have ever had the chance to wait up for Santa."  
  
"Thanks, Kasumi, but I think I'd rather just go to bed." Ranma somewhat unwillingly pulled himself away from the warmth of the table.   
  
"Are you sure you don't want to watch Christmas Specials on TV with Akane for a while?" Nabiki suggested.  
  
"Nabiki!" Akane cried. Ranma blushed.  
  
"Ah . . . that's ok." He got up and headed for the doorway, looking back over his shoulder. "The sooner I go to sleep, the sooner it'll be Christmas, right?"  
  
"Well, alright. Good night, Ranma," Kasumi said.  
  
"Night." Ranma left the room and was about to go upstairs, when he heard Akane call his name. He turned. "Akane?"  
  
"Ranma." Akane walked up to him slowly. "I, um . . . I know last Christmas was a little . . . well. . . ."  
  
"Insane," Ranma inserted helpfully.  
  
"Well, yeah." Akane looked down. "But, um . . . I . . . I really liked it. Christmas, I mean, not being insane. And, well . . . you . . . you remember how everybody was chasing us and . . . and then we ended up in the dojo roof and . . . and we . . . we. . . ."  
  
"Gave each other presents?" Ranma was starting to sweat.  
  
"Well, yeah. And, I mean, tomorrow morning we'll be opening presents and all that and . . . I was just wondering if . . . if. . . ."  
  
Ranma's heart was practically beating out of his mouth. The next minute he almost swallowed his own tongue as a firm arm gripped his shoulder.   
  
"That's the way, you two, easy does it, that's the way for building a loving relationship."  
  
"DAAAAAD!" Akane's face turned bright red. "We are not building a loving relationship! I was - - I was just telling Ranma not to wake me up in the morning when he comes galloping down the stairs like an elephant!" Akane swept past the shell-shocked Ranma and both their fathers. "Good night!" Ranma watched her go, then sighed. He trudged up to bed himself, hoping he could manage to get to sleep before Genma came in and started snoring.  
  
  
  
When Ranma opened his eyes, the first thing he thought was that he hoped breakfast would be ready by the time he got downstairs. The next thought that came was much more exciting: it was Christmas! Ranma sat up and threw back his sheets. He was still dressed in the sleeveless undershirt and sweats he'd slept in; perfectly presentable so he went downstairs. As he entered the family room where the tree was, six very bright eyes turned upon him. All three Tendo sister were gathered by the tree, waiting. Ranma realized it must be early. The storm had passed during the night, and orangish-pink sunlight was streaming in through the cold, frosty windows. Ranma stopped for a moment, but Akane smiled at him brightly and lifted a hand hidden in the folds of her baggy oversized sweater to come join them. Ranma came and sat down beside her then, and all three sisters grinned at him.  
  
"We're waiting for our daddies to wake up," Nabiki informed him, "So we can finally open all our presents."  
  
"Oh, my how exciting!" Kasumi clasped her hands. "Merry Christmas, Ranma!"  
  
Ranma laughed softly. The girls' excitement was rubbing off on him. "Yeah. Merry Christmas, you guys."  
  
The four of them huddled beside the tree until Soun and finally Genma joined them. Then came the best part; opening presents!  
  
Kasumi smiled and giggled happily every time someone thanked her for her gifts, which were always exactly what the recipient wanted, and she gasped with delight at every present that came her way.  
  
Nabiki's eyes sparkled as she appraised the value of her gifts and she everyone else presents as well, although perhaps not quite so joyfully as Kasumi.  
  
Akane was Akane, as always. She loved the blouse Kasumi gave her, giggled happily upon seeing the music tape from Nabiki, a band they both happened to like, and loved all the presents her father gave her and told him so. The men got and gave presents too - - all except Ranma. That is not to say of course he didn't get any gifts, he did, although not from Akane, which puzzled him slightly. But really, the main gift occupying Ranma's thoughts was the one sitting hidden away in his room - - the one he was suddenly too shy to give to Akane. She looked at him strangely once or twice, but didn't say anything.  
  
After they'd finished with the presents, the had a delicious Christmas breakfast, then Akane and Nabiki helped Kasumi with the dishes, while the two fathers went to play a Christmas game of Shogi. Ranma went out to the dojo. He took Akane's present with him and sat down and looked at it. It was still in the plain plastic bag, unwrapped, unadorned, and as of yet, ungiven. But Ranma was suddenly unsure that he wanted to give it to her at all. What if Akane hated sewing? What if she was sick of it? What if she didn't want anything from him at all? What if she'd been trying to tell him as much last night, when she'd wanted to talk to him? What if - -  
  
"Ranma?"  
  
Ranma jumped a foot in the air and nearly gave himself a heart attack trying to turn around, stand up, run away and hide the telltale bag in the farthest corner of the dojo, all at the same time. He at least managed to stand up and turn, and he saw Akane standing in the doorway, in a short skirt, leggings and again, an oversized sweater, which Ranma thought was a little odd, but he didn't understand women's fashion anyway.   
  
"Ranma"  
  
"Yes?" Ranma said, his voice a little higher than it should have been. If Akane noticed, she gave no sign. Instead, she lowered her gaze, blushing a little.  
  
"I was hoping you'd be out here."  
  
"You were?"   
  
"Uh huh. You see, I . . ." She shook her head, looking very embarrassed. "You see, I wanted to see you because I . . . I-I have this for you." From behind her back, Akane produced a brown paper bag and held it out. She smiled sheepishly. "I was too embarrassed to give it to you in front of everyone. I know that's kinda silly, but . . . anyway, that's what I was trying to tell you last night."  
  
"Oh." Ranma stared at her for a moment, unsure what to do. Akane came nearer and knelt in front of him, so Ranma sat down too.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well what?"  
  
Akane looked at him curiously. "Aren't you going to open it?"  
  
"Oh . . . yeah." Ranma took the bag and cautiously peeked inside. He frowned a little in confusion and reached in. He pulled out a mass of cloth and held it up, trying to make sense of it. "Oh . . . it's a . . . it's a . . . um . . . It's. . . ."  
  
Akane flushed. "It's a shirt, you dope!"  
  
"Oh . . . right . . . right. I see." He didn't see, but after a few more rotations, Ranma found a hole of some kind that his head might fit through, and with a little more effort he managed to locate the sleeves. "This is . . . nice, Akane. . . ."  
  
Akane looked away. "I know it's kinda messed up . . . I kinda lost part of the pattern."  
  
"Pattern? You mean you made this yourself?"  
  
"Of course I made it myself. Anyway, there's more in the bag."  
  
Ranma gulped. "There's more?" He reached into the bag again and pulled out two. . . .  
  
"Um . . . are they booties?" he ventured hopefully.  
  
Akane slapped at his head, but missed. "Why would I make you booties, you idiot?! They're mittens! See how they match the shirt?" Ranma looked. While the shirt was not knit, it was rather the same sickly yellow as the mittens. Akane went on. "I made them special to go with the scarf I gave you last year."  
  
Oh uh. Ranma gulped. "Um . . . t-the scarf?"  
  
"Yeah. The scarf. You remember, right?"  
  
"Well . . . I mean, yeah, of course I remember."  
  
"Great! So, where is it?"  
  
Ranma froze. "Where's what?"  
  
Akane sighed, rolling her eyes. "The scarf, stupid. I want to see how it looks."  
  
"Umm. . . ."  
  
"What's the matter with you, Ranma?"  
  
"Nothing. It's nothing. It's just that . . . well, you see, it's like . . . It's kinda. . . ."  
  
"Ranma, what is your problem?! I just wanna see the scarf!"  
  
"You can't."  
  
Akane frowned. "Why can't I?"  
  
Ranma opened his mouth to make up some excuse, but nothing would come. Finally, he just sighed, and bowed his head. "I lost the scarf," he whispered. Akane just stared at him for a long minute.  
  
"You lost it?" she repeated finally. Ranma nodded miserably. Akane looked down. Tears filled her eyes, and Ranma winced.  
  
"Aw . . . Akane - - Akane, don't cry, it was an accident, Akane. I'm really sorry." Akane didn't answer. Tears trickled down her cheeks and trembled on her chin. She wiped at them with her hidden hands. Ranma sat up and scoot towards her. "Oh, don't cry, Akane, I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to lose the scarf, I was just trying to buy you a really nice Christmas present, really! It was an accident."  
  
Akane wiped her nose and looked at him. "You - - you bought me a - - a present?" she ventured, voice trembling. Ranma nodded, turning and scooping up the bag.   
  
"Here - - see? I got this for you." Ranma started babbling, because he was very nervous. "I - - I had to work, you know, making deliveries, cause that's the only way I could get money, and I wanted to buy you something, so I worked for a couple weeks. That's why I wasn't home, and then I saw this on my way home and I thought . . . well, I mean I hoped . . . b-but I lost the scarf on my way home from my last delivery and it was late cause I stopped to buy your present and it was dark and I couldn't find the scarf and . . . I really sorry, but . . . I just . . . I wanted to get you a present," He finished weakly, shoving the bag towards her. Akane slowly took the bag and looked inside. She didn't say anything for a long time and then she reached in and pulled out the thread, hoop and boxed pattern. The hoop and thread she set aside but the box with the bright picture of the flowers and butterfly she held and just looked at. In her other hand, buried beneath folds of sweater she grasped tightly the little silver thimble. Ranma was alarmed when she started crying again.  
  
"Akane! Oh, man! I'm sorry, Akane, don't cry! I'm sure they'll let you exchange it. . . ."  
  
Akane shook her head violently and Ranma closed his mouth, confused. Akane drew a shaky breath, swiping at her eyes again. "No, Ranma," she whispered hoarsely. "It's just perfect. It's the prettiest one I've ever seen."  
  
Ranma frowned. "Then what's wrong? Is it the wrong thing?"  
  
Akane looked down at the picture again, shaking her head. "No, Ranma, it's all perfect. It's just that. . . ." Without finishing her sentence, Akane suddenly thrust out her arms and start to roll back the sleeves of her baggy sweater. As her hands slowly peeped into view, Ranma gasped.  
  
"Akane! What - - how did you - -"  
  
Akane smiled at him through her tears.  
  
"The scissors were really stiff and then I . . . didn't have a thimble," she said, shrugging a little. Ranma just shook his head in disbelief.  
  
Every finger on both of Akane's hands was bandaged from tip to second joint, and Ranma could see places where blood had begun to leak through, from a few of the deeper punctures. One of Akane's thumbs was uncovered. It wasn't bleeding, but Ranma could tell just by looking that it was blistered and roughened.   
  
Ranma reached out and took her battered hands in his. "Oh . . . Akane. . . ."  
  
"Don't." Akane leaned forward to look up into his face. Her cheeks were still wet from the tears but now she was smiling. "Thank you for the beautiful embroidery, Ranma. I'll be able to work on it soon, you'll see." Ranma felt his throat tighten. He wanted to say something, but couldn't. Akane saw the troubled look in his eyes, and added, anxiously, "You're not still worried about the scarf, are you? I mean, I forgive you of course, and it really doesn't matter, you can wear the mittens without it."  
  
"Yeah," Ranma managed. "I will. Thanks for the shirt, Akane, and the mittens. I really like them - -"  
  
Akane hugged him. She hugged him very tight, and Ranma was glad because that was the very thing he had been planning to do himself. So he held her as tight as he dared, because she really felt incredibly delicate in his arms.  
  
"Akane . . ." he murmured, almost unconsciously.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I think I . . .I. . . ."  
  
Akane lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up at him, hope surging through her. Ranma gulped. "Think I. . . ." Akane willed him to finish. Just for once, so that everything could be perfect. Ranma struggled . . . "I . . . I. . . ." Akane grew impatient, praying silently that he would be able to say it this time.   
  
"I. . . ."  
  
Would he?  
  
"I. . . l. . . ."  
  
Please, just let him say it! Just three little words. Two, even. Yes, he could definitely do it with two.  
  
"I l-l . . . lo. . . ."  
  
He had to. He absolutely had to, no other moment could possibly be any better.  
  
"I l-lo. . . ."  
  
That settled it. If Akane had to help him out so be it. She looked up at Ranma desperately. He looked back at her, equally desperate and possibly twice as scared. Akane lost her patience. Ranma steeled his courage.   
  
"Love you!"  
  
The words, simultaneously spoken, hung in the air like softly falling snow. The boy and girl stared at each other with wide eyes, now that the deed was done, at last. And done together, which was terribly ironic, considering their mutual and solemn vow that if any such deceleration was to be made, he or she would certainly not be the first to make it.  
  
They both thawed a little after a few moments, and very shyly, Ranma swallowed hard, and went to perform his manly duty, being of course, the task of kissing the girl he loved. Akane tilted her face up timidly to receive his kiss, and although he was trembling a little, he did in the end manage to touch his lips to hers, and in fact, did so two or three times, so that by the third try or so, the end result was very tolerable to both parties. After that, they managed to occupy themselves with pleasant conversation, during which Ranma only got hit for saying something foolish once or twice, until they were finally discovered about an hour later by Kasumi, comfortably cuddled side by side in the cold dojo.  
  
Outside, soft white snowflakes began to fall.  
  
  
The End  
  
  
December 9, 2002.  
  
Author's Notes: Ahh, my Christmas story for this year. Please note that it does not have anything to do with my Christmas story from last year, so on the off chance you were trying to fit them into the same storyline, forget it. This entire fanfic was written in one sitting, which for me is highly unusual. Also making it different from my usual fics, this idea struck me only a few hours before I sat down and wrote it. Usually it takes days for me to start working on an idea, if I ever use it at all. And as the the idea itself . . . my keen-eyed and astute readers will no doubt see the parody at once. Well, you're right. The plot for this story was based on 'The Gift of the Magi' by O. Henry. That said, I am aware that Ranma and Akane are both a bit OOC at times, but unfortunately this was necessary to make the story work. Also, if you're interested in knowing, Akane's gift was originally knitting needles and yarn, but I changed it, because sore fingers wouldn't make as much difference. Anyway, I've rambled long enough. Please review; getting feedback is what inspires me to keep writing. Until next time, then. Merry Christmas! 


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